Devices and their use in protecting a person's head and scalp and as aids in the course of effecting a hair treatment, dressing, tinting, dyeing, frosting, streaking or otherwise achieving various hair fashions and colorings are quite old in the art. These are sometimes referred to as "frosting caps", "hair treatment caps", "hair and scalp protectors", etc. They usually take the form of a cap or cover which is placed over the head and fastened in position. They are usually equipped with a plurality of holes or perforations through which strands of hair are pulled out with the aid of devices which may be crocheting needles. The bleaching, coloring, or treating material is then applied to the strands so pulled out. The remainder of the hair and scalp are protected from the action of the material or treatment by the body of the cap itself which is usually made of a plastic or some other resilient and impervious material. Upon removal of the cap from the head, the hair may either have the desired effect or may be subjected to further treatment.
The treatment given to the strands of hair may comprise hot or cold waving, or applying different coloring materials of innumerable shades to selected strands or locks as desired to produce a final hair effect. The various treating processes are known in the art as "frosting", "tipping", "streaking", "bleaching", which are generally descriptive terms. More exotic treatments producing various variegated effects are known variously as "rainbowing", "marbleizing", "highlighting", "haloing", "accenting", "flashing", "glazing", "naturalizing", etc. The basic procedures are much the same in all cases; the difference being in the coloring or treating materials and processes themselves and, of course, in the caps and related devices which are used to produce the various effects.
Prior art as presently known to applicant is set forth in summary form below.
Jourliac--British Pat. No. 507,232 (1937). Teaches use of head protecting bands equipped with slots through which locks of hair are withdrawn and then subjected to permanent wave treatment.
Nell--U.S. Pat. No. 2,618,274 (1952). Scalp protector comprising a covering to be wrapped around the head is equipped with slots permitting locks of hair to protrude so that cold wave or hot wave applications may be made.
Mach--U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,074 (1957). This cap uses two plys of perforations in which the perforations in each ply are offset from each other to effect greater protection to the scalp from the treating chemicals.
Widoff--U.S. Pat. No. 2,957,480 (1960). Teaches a perforated cap in combination with a solid cap to provide a dead air space for more effective treatment of the hairs in between.
Sobeck--U.S. Pat. No. 3,249,113 (1963). Teaches a cap with a multiplicity of dimples or recesses which may be punctured where desired and strands of hair pulled through for treatment.
Cook--U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,753 (1966). Teaches a cap with indentations which may be pierced or punctured by a suitable tool where desired in combination with reinforcing rings around each indentations.
Anderson--U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,945 (1967). Teaches a cap with slits through which locks of hair may be drawn for frosting, tipping or streaking, each of said slits being equipped with clamping means or jaws as holding locks of hair in place while being treated, preventing leakage of fluid.
Newman--U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,689 (1968). Teaches a cap with indentations which may be perforated or punctured, said indentations having protruberances outward and indentations inward for greater effectiveness.
Cook--U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,318 (1969). This is a divisional of Cook U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,753 above and teaches a guard or clamp for use in combination with holes or apertures in a cap.
Hall--U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,257 (1971). Teaches a cap having a plurality of tubular members connected to openings in the cap. Strands of hair may be pulled into the tubular openings and the streaking or frosting solutions applied.
None of the prior art discloses or claims a device and/or a method by which a predetermined effect or hair appearance may be definitely attained. All is left entirely to the skill and judgment of the professional hair dresser. The "do-it-yourself" individual has no aid she can use to get the desired result by herself. Even where professional hair dressers are used, none of the devices offer them any direct aid in producing an exact effect which their customer wants precisely and efficiently.